Dateline NBC - What happened to Angie Dodge?

As an 18-year-old Angie Dodge started her independent life in her new apartment in May 1996, a harrowing rape and murder led to her untimely death - one that shocked the city of Idaho Falls. Angie had failed to show up for work on June 13, 1996, when two of her colleagues passed by her apartment only to find her stabbed to death and partially naked in her blood-soaked bedroom.

The investigators from the Idaho Falls Police Department spent years trying to narrow down the DNA sample collected from the scene to the real murderer till a genealogical investigation led to the arrest of Brian Leigh Dripps Sr. on May 15, 2019, per East Idaho News.

The Dateline NBC episode titled True Confession showcases the gruesome murder of Angie Dodge and the years-long investigation that led to Dripps' confession. The synopsis of the episode reads,

"An Idaho man is sentenced to life after falsely confessing to his friend's murder; but after the true culprit is caught and the case seemingly closed, a chilling twist unfolds."

Episode 29 of season 32 airs on February 23, 2024, at 9 pm EST on NBC exclusively.

Trigger Warning: This article contains graphic details of an assault. Readers' discretion is advised.

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Who was Angie Dodge? Details explored

Angie Raye Dodge was born to parents Jack and Carol Dodge in Vancouver, Wash, on December 21, 1977. She was the youngest among four children and had three brothers - Brent, Todd, and Roger. Dodge graduated with honors from Idaho Falls High School in 1995 and then studied at Idaho State University.

She was known to have an “infectious smile and a vivacious personality” and greeted everyone with a hug. Angie dreamt of being an entrepreneur in the business world. She had moved out of her family home and started living alone in an apartment in Idaho Falls in May 1996. Angie Dodge’s best friend, Jessica Martinez, spoke to BBC and shared,

“She didn’t put up with people’s crap. She was very smart and one of the only people in our group to graduate high school.”

Angie had been employed at the downtown Beauty for All Seasons store at the time of her murder.

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What happened to Angie Dodge?

On June 13, 1996, two of Angie's colleagues, Julia and Tawni, showed up at the front door of her north Idaho Falls apartment as she failed to show up for her work shift. The door was unlocked, and the 18-year-old was found lying half-naked on the bedroom floor.

Her head was up against the wall. The mattress and the carpet beneath her was covered with a blood-stained sheet, per BBC News. There was a large slit across Angie's throat and 14 stab wounds all over her body. An autopsy revealed that she had been brutally r*ped before her death. According to CBS News, the killer ejaculated on her and left behind a DNA sample, which DNA expert Greg Hampikian called "a pristine profile."

Idaho Falls detective Jeff Pratt described the crime scene, saying,

“They cautioned me that it was a pretty graphic and violent scene -- a lot of blood. It was probably the worst case I've ever seen. It's the nightmare.”

The investigation into Angie Dodge's r*pe and murder led the Idaho Falls Police Department down a rabbit hole, which yielded two wrong suspects and one wrongful conviction. The actual perpetrator, Brian Leigh Dripps Sr., was apprehended using familial DNA searching technology in 2019.